Anticreeper rail plate



Get. 7 1924.

R. M. LOVELACE ANTICREEPER RAIL PLATE Filed Fb. 25, 1924 @vwzmtoz ,5.M-. Z01/e/ace Patented @et. 7,

ANTICREEPER RAIL PLATE.

Application filed February 23,1924. Serial 110.694,?49.

To all whom it may come-m:

Be it known that I, Burns M. LovnLAoE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Crowder, in the county of Pittsb-urg and State of Oklahoma,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Anticreeper RailPlates, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to anti-creeper rail plates and it consists inthe novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a plate of simple form adaptedto be applied to the tie and rail of a railway track structure and whichwill prevent. the rail from slipping or running longitudinally over thetie toward low places in the road bed.

The fact is well known that unless means are provided for restrainingtrack rails against creeping, they move longitudinally under theinfluence of the traflic passing over them or they slide down inclinedstretches of the road, and the sections tend to crowd or accumulate atlow places and in extremely warm weather, the sections of the rails eX-pand longitudinally and some of the sections are liable to kink or bowwhereby they are thrown out of true alinement and such distortionfrequently results in accident due to derailment of the rolling stock.

Therefore it is the object of the present. invention to provide simplemeans, such as stated, to prevent the rail sections from creeping and topositively confine them in their proper and prescribed relation withrespect to each other, with respect to the ties, and with respect to theroad bed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a track rail showing theanti-creeper plate applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an edge elevation of the anticreeper plate.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation of the anti-creeperplate viewing the same at the opposite end from that end which is shownin Figure 2.

The anti-creeping rail plate comprises a body portion 1 which isprefer-ably rectangular in plan and which is provided at one Sideportion with a curved lip 2 which extends the full transverse breadth ofsaid body. The body portion 1 is provided in the vicinity of one cornerthereof and at a t and the lug 5are located with aprong portion 6. Theend portion ofthe prong 6 is sheared off diagonally whereby a verticaledge 7' is provided at the end of the said prong, the said edge 7 beingin alinement with the ajacent side edge of the body 1.

The prong 6 is also-provided at its underside with relatively sharpedges 8 and 9 which converge toward the edge 7 and which are adapted tobite into the upper surface of thebase flange of-the rail when theanticreeping plate is applied. The rail is indicated at 10. The inneredge surface of the hp 2 is cut away at 11 at one end of the said lip inorder that the body 1 of the plate may assume the position with relationto the rail as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawing whenthe plate is being applied to the rail. .To apply'the plate to a rail,the same is first turned to an angle with respect to the rail, asindicated by the dotted line and slightly tilted with respect to theplane of the base flange of said rail, so that the lip 2 may be insertedover the base flange of the rail at one side, following which the prong6 is moved upwardly beyond the base flange, at the other side ofslateorrlcs. Y

the rail, the plate still retaining an inclined relation with respect tothe base flange of the rail, due to the contact of the lug 5 with thebottoin'thereof. The inclination of the lip 2 is sulficient to permit asubstantial amount of play between the base flange of the rail and thelip, to allow the plate to be positioned in "inclined relation under thebottomof the rail during its turning movement, in order to move the lug5, which is relatively small in height, past the edge of the base flangeof the rail into the full line position of Figure 1. tial application ofthe plate, the same is rotated to the transverse position, shown inFollowing this parp and prevent creeping thereon.

full lines in Figure 1, from the dotted line position, in order that thelug 5 may be moved outwardly beyond the side edge of the base flange ofthe rail, in order to move the plate upwardly so that the base of theplate contacts with the base of the rail, following which the same isready for spikin to the tie. When the plate 1s positione as illustratedin full lines, in Figure 1, spikes may be driven through the openings 3and 4, so that the plate is fastened to a tie and held in lockedrelation, in connection with the rail, the lip 2 and prong 6, in thisrelation, firmly engaging the face of the base flange of the rail, andserving in cooperation With.

the spikes driven through the openings 3 and 4:, to retain the railrelative to the tie, Thus when the spikes are driven and the plate isapplied to the rail as indicated, the rail is positively held againstlongitudinal movement with relation to the tie thus preventing creepingand the objectionable features in cident thereto.

intense Having described the invention, What is claimed is:

an anti-creeping rail plate comprising a body having at one side portiona lip ex tending from edge to edge of the body and provided at one endwith an inner cut away wall portion, spike openings passing through thebody and located in the vicinity of diagonally opposite corners thereof,a lug formed upon the body at the side of one of the spike openings, aprong formed upon the body and having a pointed end disposed toward theopposite spike opening, the inner end of the prong being sheareddiagonally whereby a vertically disposed sharp edge is provided at theextremity of the prong, said edge being located in the same plane as theadjacent edge of the body and the converging edges of the prong beingsharpened at the lower face of the prong and adapted to cut into thebase flange of a rail when a plate is applied.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

RUFES M. LOVELACEL

